History YMMV / SawX

** "Saw [[WesternAnimation/PAWPatrolTheMightyMovie Patrol]]."[[labelnote:Explanation]]''Saw X''[='=]s release date being moved to September 29th placed it on the same release day as ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrolTheMightyMovie''. With this occurring not long after the release of ''Film/{{Barbie|2023}}'' and ''Film/{{Oppenheimer}}'', whose simultaneous release created the "Barbenheimer" meme, many have labeled this release date as "Saw Patrol" and state it to be a sequel to "Barbenheimer". Some detractors complain that this is a ForcedMeme, given how intensely promoted it has been by both movies' distributors from the outset while the former came about and spread much more naturally. Similarly, while ''Film/{{Barbie|2023}}'' and ''Film/{{Oppenheimer}}'' are both films with a significant overlap in audience if not tone and genre, very few people were actually interested in watching both ''Saw'' and ''Paw Patrol''.[[/labelnote]]

* EpilepticTrees: The fact that Creator/ShawneeSmith returns as Amanda Young for this installment left some to believe that Mark Hoffman is also making his grand return, with most pointing to the trailer captions highlighting a "Detective" as evidence to back this up. Many have also stated the voice in the trailer who says "Out of all the men to cheat, you picked John Kramer?" sounds a lot like Creator/CostasMandylor's voice.[[note]]This even carried over to some foreign dubs, such as the person speaking this dialogue in the Brazilian Portuguese version of the trailer being precisely the same Brazilian voice actor who dubbed Hoffman from ''Saw III'' to ''VI'' (''3D'' was the only exception).[[/note]] [[spoiler:Hoffman's return is ultimately confirmed in TheStinger, where he helps John in setting up Henry's trap.]]
* EsotericHappyEnding: The movie ends with [[spoiler: John, Amanda, and Carlos walking off into the sunset, which is treated as an entirely positive thing. While Carlos' survival is certainly positive, John and Amanda are now free to torture, mutilate, and kill more people, as shown in the films that follow this one chronologically]].

** "Saw [[WesternAnimation/PAWPatrolTheMightyMovie Patrol]]."[[labelnote:Explanation]]''Saw X''[='=]s release date being moved to September 29th placed it on the same release day as ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrolTheMightyMovie''. With this occurring not long after the release of ''Film/{{Barbie|2023}}'' and ''Film/{{Oppenheimer}}'', whose simultaneous release created the "Barbenheimer" meme, many have labeled this release date as "Saw Patrol" and state it to be a sequel to "Barbenheimer". Some detractors complain that this is a ForcedMeme, given how intensely promoted it has been by both movies' distributors from the outset.[[/labelnote]]

* CatharsisFactor: [[spoiler: For those who dislike Jigsaw’s sense of omnipotence, how brutally he tortures others without ever receiving anything close to it, this film finally features him in a trap of his own creation thanks to Pederson and Sears forcing him into the Blood Board, though it comes with a child being forced onto it with him.]]

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: ''Saw X'' was released to an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score (making this the first "Fresh" film in the franchise, and the first to be Certified Fresh) and a 7.3 out of 10 on iMDb, with many critics not only heralding it as a return to form, but the best film since the first (which was itself generally considered by fans and non-fans alike to be [[FirstInstallmentWins "the genuinely good one]]"). Points of praise include making the story an early {{interquel}} -- conveniently sidestepping the franchise's later KudzuPlot and giving an opportunity for the beloved Creator/TobinBell a return to the spotlight as a compelling VillainProtagonist [[PosthumousCharacter after spending over half of the series dead]] -- as well as stronger character focus and a surprisingly poignant script, balancing out the terrifying traps with sincere character drama and emotional stakes.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: ''Saw X'' was released to an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score (making this the first "Fresh" film in the franchise, and the first to be Certified Fresh) and a 7.3 out of 10 on iMDb, with many critics not only heralding it as a return to form, but the best film since the first. Points of praise include making the story an early {{interquel}} -- conveniently sidestepping the franchise's later KudzuPlot and giving an opportunity for the beloved Creator/TobinBell a return to the spotlight as a compelling VillainProtagonist [[PosthumousCharacter after spending over half of the series dead]] -- as well as stronger character focus and a surprisingly poignant script, balancing out the terrifying traps with sincere character drama and emotional stakes.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: "The Air That I Breathe" by Music/TheHollies, which plays during the trailer, is a fittingly breathtaking piece that perfectly captures the atmosphere of the film.

** [[spoiler:Of all the scammers, Gabriela is the most sympathetic person to both Amanda and John from the word go, and after John discovers the scam's true nature, it's immediately clear why: she's a hopeless drug addict who was likely roped into the job by her dealer, Mateo. During the game, Amanda easily relates to her as she used to be a drug addict herself, and John clearly had some level of empathy for her too. They're clearly happy to have Gabriela taken to a hospital after she passes her test... and Amanda has one ''visceral'' reaction when Cecilia kills her.]]

** [[spoiler:Gabriela is the sweetest person to John of all the scammers from the word go, and after TheReveal that everything was a scam, it's immediately clear why: she's a hopeless drug addict who was likely roped into the job by her dealer, Mateo. John clearly had some level of sympathy for her during the game, and Amanda does too as she herself had been in Gabriela's shoes at one point. John and Amanda are clearly happy to have her taken to a hospital after she passes her test... and Amanda has one ''visceral'' reaction when Cecilia kills her.]]

* JerkassWoobie: [[spoiler: Even though she appears to be somewhat apathetic as one of the scammers, [[DisposableSexWorker Valentina]] has garnered some sympathy for the horrific circumstances that led to her death, which started with her being abducted shortly after a near-rape encounter with a prostitution client. Then she's placed in a trap that requires her to cut off her leg with a Gigli saw and extract the bone marrow through a surgical vacuum to stop the timer. Her having endured her trap, only to end up failing at the last second just because her bone marrow was too slow to fill up the container in time, seems downright unfair to plenty of viewers]].
** [[spoiler:Gabriela is the sweetest person to John of all the scammers from the word go, and after TheReveal that everything was a scam, it's immediately clear why: she's a hopeless drug addict who was likely roped into the job by her dealer, Matteo. John clearly had some level of sympathy for her during the game, and Amanda does too as she herself had been in Gabriela's shoes at one point. John and Amanda are clearly happy to have her taken to a hospital after she passes her test... and Amanda has one ''visceral'' reaction when Cecilia kills her.]]

* NarmCharm: [[spoiler:Hoffman]] describing [[MuggingTheMonster accidentally conning John]] as "epic bad luck" in a perfectly deadpan tone is objectively very silly. It's also a very funny way to end such a grisly film, and it suggests that the creators are aware of how the ''Saw'' fandom has come to perceive the characters (alongside the last few films in general, despite his absence in them) as a bit of a goofus.

* NarmCharm: [[spoiler:Hoffman]] describing [[MuggingTheMonster accidentally conning the Jigsaw Killer]] as "epic bad luck" in a perfectly deadpan tone is objectively very silly. It's also a very funny way to end such a grisly film, and it suggests that the creators are aware of how the ''Saw'' fandom has come to perceive the characters (alongside the last few films in general, despite his absence in them) as a bit of a goofus.

* NarmCharm: [[spoiler:Detective Hoffman]] describing [[MuggingTheMonster accidentally conning the Jigsaw Killer]] as "epic bad luck" in a perfectly deadpan tone is objectively very silly. It's also a very funny way to end such a grisly film, and it suggests that the creators are aware of how the ''Saw'' fandom has come to perceive of the character as a bit of a goofus.

** The rest of the scammers are all portrayed by rather good-looking actors. Special mention goes to Gabriela and Valentina, who are played by the attractive Renata Vaca and Paulette Hernandez.

* BellisariosMaxim:
** John, Amanda and [[spoiler: Hoffman]] are visibly much older than when they canonically show up next in ''Saw II'' and ''III'', a pair of movies made close to ''two decades'' prior to this one. It's not ''too'' bad with John, as he was already an old man and he's meant to look like he's suffering the worst of cancer, but it's very noticeable with the other two. [[https://ew.com/movies/saw-x-tobin-bell-jigsaw-nicole-kidman/ Reportedly]], the filmmakers briefly toyed with the idea of DigitalDeaging, but ultimately decided against it on the grounds that it would tamper with Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith and [[spoiler:Costas Mandylor]]'s performances.
** The Maxim very much falls apart with [[spoiler: the reveal that John and Amanda always knew that Sears is in on the plot; everything afterward is very clearly written to trick the audience rather than have them realistically act.]]

* EsotericHappyEnding: The movie ends with [[spoiler: John, Amanda and Carlos walking off into the sunset, which is treated as an entirely positive thing. While Carlos' survival is certainly positive, John and Amanda are now free to torture, mutilate and kill more people, as shown in the films that follow this one chronologically]].

* MisaimedFandom: People who have seen the footage of the Eye Vacuum Trap on Website/{{YouTube}} have claimed that it's one of the easiest traps in the franchise to beat, saying that a bit of {{Fingore}} is nothing compared to the [[LifeOrLimbDecision Life-or-Limb Decisions]] that define many of the other traps, and the victim should have just turned the dial straight to 5 to win. These people completely ignore the fact that the poor guy is in shock (which anyone would be if they didn't have the AudienceAwarenessAdvantage), and Jigsaw likely designed the trap so the dial couldn't be turned more than one increment at a time. Plus, if he ''did'' win, the same people (who are known for wanting to see victims failing in their tests to see the traps' outcomes) would probably complain about not getting to see the trap in action. [[spoiler:The trap turns out to have been an ImagineSpot anyway, so it's a moot point how he would've reacted or how easy it was.]]

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: While Tobin Bell's abilities as an actor have never been in question, seeing as how he's been a beloved horror icon for decades, here he really gets to show his acting chops as he presents a much more vulnerable, sympathetic side to John Kramer -- managing to balance the character's humanity alongside his usual presentation as a [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] SerialKiller.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: While Tobin Bell's abilities as an actor have never been in question, seeing as how he's been a beloved horror icon for decades, here he really gets to show his acting chops as he presents a much more vulnerable, sympathetic side to John Kramer - managing to balance the character's humanity alongside his more monstrous qualities.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanActL: While Tobin Bell's abilities as an actor have never been in question, seeing as how he's been a beloved horror icon for decades, here he really gets to show his acting chops as he presents a much more vulnerable, sympathetic side to John Kramer - managing to balance the character's humanity alongside his more monstrous qualities.

** John, Amanda and [[spoiler: Hoffman]] are visibly much older than when they canonically show up next in ''Saw II'' and ''III'', a pair of movies made close to ''two decades'' prior to this one. It's not ''too'' bad with John, as he's meant to look like he's suffering the throws of cancer, but it's very noticeable with the other two. [[https://ew.com/movies/saw-x-tobin-bell-jigsaw-nicole-kidman/ Reportedly]], the filmmakers briefly toyed with the idea of DigitalDeaging, but ultimately decided against it on the grounds that it would tamper with Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith and [[spoiler:Costas Mandylor]]'s performances.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: As of this writing, ''Saw X'' has an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score (making this the first 'Fresh' film in the franchise, and the first to be Certified Fresh) and a 7.3 out of 10 on iMDb, with many critics heralding it as a return to form, and the best film since the first.

** The Bloodboarding trap is almost akin to the [[Film/SawIII Pig Guts trap]], more disgusting than anything violent. Despite that it's still pretty nasty to watch John and Carlos suffocate from falling blood onto their faces, choking and spitting out the blood that falls into their mouths. It's a mystery how and where John even got that much blood, whose blood it once belonged to, and how old it was until it was used in the trap. It could've been simply animal blood or [[FridgeHorror even worse, human blood, with possible bloodborne diseases and all]].

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: As of this writing, ''Saw X'' has an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score (making this the first 'Fresh' film in the franchise, and the first to be Certified Fresh) and a 7.3 out of 10 on iMDb, with many critics singling out Tobin Bell's performance as a highlight.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: As of this writing, ''Saw X'' has an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score (making this the first 'Fresh' film in the franchise, and the first to be Certified Fresh) and a 7.7 out of 10 on iMDb, with many critics singling out Tobin Bell's performance as a highlight.

* KarmicOverkill: Despite them being willing accomplices to the scam, some viewers felt that [[spoiler:Valentina, Mateo, and Gabriela]] were underserving of the traps they were placed in, or at the least, didn't deserve to die so horribly. It's made more apparent when [[spoiler:Cecilia, the head of the scam organization itself who arguably deserved far worse in comparison, continued her atrocities by killing a wounded Gabriela, placing a child in a trap against John out of spite, and even got to live to tell the tale with negligible wounds after enduring her own trap]].

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: Anyone who's watched the film is likely say Cecilia is the most detestable person in the franchise, or at least one of the most detestable, especially given her contrast with John throughout the movie. While John is, well, [[SerialKiller Jigsaw]], he has many humanizing moments in the film; Cecilia, on the other hand, easily shows that she's a lot more immoral than him. For starters, aside from being the ringleader of a medical fraud group that robs from the dying and desperate, she kills one of her own underlings (Gabriella) despite her succeeding in her trap, tries to use the intestines of another dead one (Valentina) to get an advantage for her personal survival, and forces [[ChildrenAreInnocent Carlos, a child,]] into the Bloodboarding Trap [[EvenEvilHasStandards to John's horror]].